Candace Temme
What is a school-based Speech-Language Pathologist?
Speech Language Pathologists' (SLPs) who work in a school setting have a wide range of skills to diagnose and treat students with a variety of speech and language disorders such as articulation, receptive, expressive language, social language skills, voice, and stuttering disorders to support access to the general curriculum.
What is a Speech or Language Impairment? A child with a Speech or Language Impairment shall have a communicative disorder which prevents the child from receiving reasonable educational benefit from general education.
The following is a list of common speech and language disorders with a brief explanation of each.
- Articulation - the way we say our speech sounds
- Phonology - the speech patterns we use
- Apraxia - difficulty planning and coordinating the movements needed to make speech sounds
- Fluency - stuttering
- Voice - problems with the way the voice sounds, such as hoarseness
- Receptive Language - difficulty understanding language
- Expressive Language - difficulty using language
- Pragmatic Language - social communication; the way we speak to each other
Other Disorders
- Deafness/Hearing Loss - loss of hearing; therapy includes developing lip-reading, speech, and/or alternative communication systems
- Oral-Motor Disorders - weak tongue and/or lip muscles
- Swallowing/Feeding Disorders - difficulty chewing and/or swallowing (though this is not serviced by a Speech-Language Pathologist in an educational setting)
In Speech, we work hard to meet students' speech and language goals, but in a fun atmosphere. Carryover and working with your students at home is pertinent to carryover and mastery of skills. When parents or teachers ask, "How long will it take to correct this?", much like any other activity, the more you practice the greater you will achieve mastery. Most activities only done once or twice a week take much longer and show less growth. Fun activities that target speech articulation and expressive and receptive language alongside weekly therapy are sent home to help students meet their goals and achieve maximum growth.
